ANTI-MICROBIAL TARGETING FOR INTRACELLULAR PATHOGENS

ANTI-MICROBIAL TARGETING FOR INTRACELLULAR PATHOGENS

UCLA Technology Available For Licensing

Antibiotics are used, often in high doses, to combat many infectious diseases. One such disease is tuberculosis, which is becoming more prevalent in our country and worldwide. Tuberculosis is caused by an intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. No method currently exists to precisely target the intracellular compartment in which the parasites associated with M.tuberculosis and other intracellular pathogens, reside. Typically, parasites in the intracellular compartment, or phagosome, receive a much lower concentration of the antibiotic than what is administered systemically. With no method of targeting antibiotics, relatively high concentrations are required often leading to adverse side effects. Additionally, even these high concentrations are often not adequate to kill the pathogen.

UCLA Researchers have developed a method of precisely targeting antibiotics to the intracellular site of replication of M. tuberculosis or other similar intracellular pathogens. With this method of targeting the antibiotic to the pathogen, a lower systemic dose of the antibiotic will achieve much higher concentrations at the intracellular site of replication of the pathogen. Therefore, adverse side effects will be less likely and effective killing of the pathogen will be more likely. The use of the specific targeting molecules will allow more effective antimicrobial therapy against certain intracellular parasites such as M. tuberculosis.

Reference: UCLA Case No. 1995-579 US Patent Number: 6,054,133

For additional technical details and current licensing
availability, please contact the following UCLA office:

UCLA Office of Intellectual Property

11000 Kinross Avenue, Suite #200

Los Angeles, CA 90095-7231

Tel: 310-794-0558 Fax: 310-794-0638

email: ncd@research.ucla.edu

NCD URL: http://www.research.ucla.edu/tech/ucla95-579.htm

UCLA Technologies Available for Licensing
http://www.research.ucla.edu/tech

keywords: therapeutics uclancd ucla technologies intellectual property patents technology transfer invention business card